Exercise for ankle sprains — can it help strengthen and restabilize your muscles? When you sprain your ankle for the first time, it might seem like the injury will never go away. You often feel week, as if your ankle cannot support your body weight. Studies show that exercising can help the process of healing…

Better adherence to recommended home exercises as well as being more physically active improves the long-term effectiveness of exercise therapy in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and/or knee, say researchers in an article published in the August issue of Arthritis Care and Research. Both within and after the treatment period better adherence is…

A new study finds that 34% of US adults in government health surveys conducted between 1999 and 2006 had metabolic syndrome, up from 29% in similar surveys done between 1988 and 1994, says an article by Reuters Health based on a study in Diabetes Care. The syndrome is a collection of risk factors for type 2…

Diabetics must be in the know of their vital health, nutrition, and exercise at all times. If you have diabetes, you likely know more about your health than the average person. What you eat and how much you exercise affects how you feel and live. It is important for you as a diabetic to maintain…

Gait Analysis has long been used in medical settings to help people with movement disorders. Patients with cerebral palsy have learned to move more efficiently and with more stability after gait analysis. Today, casual joggers and walkers are using the same technique to find the right footwear, to prevent injury, and to assess chronic injuries…

Progressive resistance strength training appears to be an effective intervention to reduce physical disability in older adults, say authors of research published in the January 2011 issue of Disability and Rehabilitation. To maximize the effect, the authors suggest therapists use responsive outcome measures and a multi-component intervention approach. 2 reviewers independently researched data. The trial…

Researchers at the Queen’s University, Kingsland, Ontario, Canada, and Columbia University, New York, conducted a randomized clinical trial involving 136 sedentary older adults who were abdominally obese, meaning they had a waist circumference of at least 40″ for men or 35″ for women. For 6 months, participants were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups:…

As baby boomers age, more of them are facing the aches and pains that often come with arthritis or chronic joint pain. It is estimated 66 million, or nearly one in three adults, live with chronic joint pain. Baby boomers are at prime risk for the disease. Sandeep Varma, MD, rheumatologist in Norwich, CT, said…